Muslims received 45% of all the public sector bank loans extended to minorities in 2015

The share of Muslims in the total loans extended by India’s public sector banks increased in 2015, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data showed.

According to the data, India’s Muslim community stood at the top of the minority lending list with 44.75% share in 2015 as against 44.31% in 2014.

Out of the total of Rs 2, 69,644 crore loans extended to Minority Communities as on quarter ended March 31, 2015, Muslims received Rs 1, 20,661 crore worth of loans from India's public sector banks.

The share of Christians and Sikhs has actually fallen, however, in absolute terms they received more loans from the public sector banks, the data showed.

In 2015, Christians and Sikhs got Rs 57,902 crore and 63, 625 crore worth of loans and commanded 21.47% and 23.60% share as against Rs 52, 662 crore (21.87%) and Rs 59, 200 crore (24.58%) in 2014, respectively.

Other communities like Buddhists, Zoroastrians and Jains got Rs loans of Rs 6,156 crore, Rs 5,431 crore and Rs 15,870 crore with total shares of 2.28%, 2.01% and 5.89%, respectively.

According to India's population census of 2011, out of the estimated 121 crore people, 17,22 crore, or 14,23% were Muslims, followed by 2.3% Christians with 2.78 crore population, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains following with 1.72%, 0.70% and 0.37% with populations of 2.08 crore, 84.43 lakh and 44.52 crore, respectively. 

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